Liam Brady: An Irishman Abroad (RTE One)

Jack Charlton touch of class

RTE get a lot of stick and deservedly so, but that was a brilliant documentary, fair play to them. What a player and what a career he had.

And Charlton - our greatest import.

Enjoyed that. Really liked the Italian archive footage. My only small complaint was that it wasn't 15 or 20 minutes longer. Would have liked a small piece on his last team in Italy Ascoli and a bit on his managerial career which never got going. But it was still a great watch.

Hmmm. Not so sure about that. Charlton deliberately humiliated him in his final game. Not so sure I’d be as forgiving as Brady. After 88 Charlton didn’t want him in the team anymore (I always felt he was picking him grudgingly up to that, but he couldn’t really leave him out.) Then he got his injury. As I say, Charlton was finished with him after that, but started him against Germany in a friendly and hauled him off after half an hour “to show the Irish” that he was finished. I was never that much of a Charlton fan, and that was a particularly sh1tty thing to do. He’d have been more honest just not to pick him at all if that’s how he felt. It’s to Bradys credit that he didn’t hold a grudge. Notable that the letter didn’t apologise either.

Charlton had nothing to apologize for.

As Brady said it was 2 men with a difference of opinion about football. Maybe Brady forgave him because he knew there were 2 of them being pig headed. Brady could have actually just tried to do as his manager asked too.

If Brady done exactly as he asked then he would have been a Charlton type player. Brady admitted himself that he had a problem and arguments about Charltons tactics.

I think the letter definitely made it clear Charlton regretted how it happened.

Was surprised he felt regret about his form at Inter. Not sure it was something he was criticized about at the time.

Class player and comes across as a decent man. I was a big Arsenal fan as a kid and remember him, O'Leary and Stapleton ruling the roost at Highbury. I was at Lansdowne Road in 1987 when he scored against Brazil. That was a great day.

Blissett, Hateley, Jordan, Wilkins, Rush, Cowans, Souness, Francis and Rideout all went out to Italy from England in the 1980s yet it was Liam Brady from Ireland who truly succeeded over there playing for three famous clubs in Juventus, Sampdoria and Inter Milan. Interestingly enough Giovanni Trappatoni sold him twice as manager of Juventus and Inter.

Brady was a fabulous player with a wand of a left foot. When you consider we also had Kevin Sheedy we were truly blessed. Fantastic documentary by RTE.

The title, An Irishman Abroad, was a bit of a misnomer alright, as the program dealt with the climax to his international career at home too, rather than just his playing exploits in England and Italy (never mentioned that he also had a season or two with Ascoli.).

I've never bought in to the whole Jack Charlton 'success to Irish football' scene. He was the first to get us qualified for the World Cups in fairness but the football we played in them was dreadful by and large and we only won one match (Italy '94) on the field of play. In spite of all the furore at the time, I've always felt Mick McCarthy's deeds in 2002 were more impressive and largely overlooked.

The way we played under Jack at Euro 88 and WC 1990 was scandalous. I have always believed that midfield is the most important line in any side. Control the midfield control the game, less defending and more chances in attack. We had Sheedy, Houghton, Townsend, Sheridan, Houghton and Whelan to pick from. Also McGrath was another midfield option. Brady was past his best by 88. The aforementioned 6 were better than anyone we have had since except for Keane. All 6 were at the top of their game between 1988-1990.

Between 1988 and 1990 in John Aldridge we had as good a penalty box player as their was playing in England. Quinn/Cascarino were good target men. Morris, Irwin, Staunton and Hughton were all good/dependable full back options. O'Leary, McGrath, Moran and to a lesser extent McCarthy were solid centre backs. Packie was an outstanding goalkeeper who played one tournament too long in 1994. Peyton a solid back up.

Jack seemed to think that being in possession left you vulnerable especially when facing your own goal. I would argue his style of play left you vulnerable to losing possession. Yes the two tournaments in 1988 and 1990 were good campaigns but they had the potential to be better than they were had the team being allowed to express themselves. You don't have to play like Wimbledon did to be organised. In a sense those years were a missed opportunity. We'll never know how good we could have been.

In Charltons defense no matter what system Ireland play the story of Irish football is losing or draws.

Drawing to teams we should beat isn't unique to Charlton.

I enjoyed this for what it was

BUT ....

the Irish national team topic was totally rushed as an afterthought at the end of the show.

Was in hospitality a good while ago (within the last 10 years) and Brady was a fairly regular customer for a quiet coffee or pint after punditry.

Always nice to the staff and willing to chat, not grumpy at all.

The documentary was well produced, credit where credit is due to RTE on this one.

Very much about his life abroad. He didn't 'live' abroad with the Irish team.

Programme was aimed at a general audience I felt rather than a footie one. My partner who has scant interest in 'bloody football' thoroughly enjoyed this and the glimpse at their lives.

Well I think the footage and coverage of his time in Italy was main selling point of the show. And what was referred to in the title.

Many hundreds of irish players have played 'abroad' in the UK, nothing really unique about that. But the show obviously had to show us his career in the UK as a basis of how he ended up in Italy.

Brady was a trendsetter in terms of actually playing ABROAD

Yes perhaps correct, although plenty of British players started to make the move to Italy after Brady, so perhaps he was a trendsetter for them?

Not really a couple of British players went before him and a few in the 90s.

Serie A had the money back then so I think it was inevitable that a few from everywhere went.

There were British players in the 60s such as Denis Law.

After a disastrous 1966 world cup a limit was placed, no new foreigners were allowed to be signed.

Then there was 1 foreigner allowed from 1980 and then later 2 foreigners.

Brady seems to have been the first signing from British leagues in that wave.

Good info here - it says it was done because of poor Italian peformance in Europe, but I wonder if EEC treaties might be a part aswell. Not allowing EEC players at all in Italy would have been contrary to freedom of movement.

https://www.cfclassics.co/players/lists/italyforeign/italy-serie-a-foreign-football-stars-1980s-1990s.htm

Really enjoyed the documentary. As others have said, RTE get a lot of rightful stick, but this was top notch. Could easily have been a two parter.

Yeah, cos things are always that simple, aren’t they ? Yes, Charlton got the breakthrough, but he got the breaks that Hand didn’t get. Hand was in a group with 3 top European teams and only lost out on goal difference,, and that after a very questionable refereeing performance in Brussels. That’s as much of a fact as Charlton achieving qualification. Sorry if you find that “annoying naval gazing,” but football talk is full of that kind of thing, always has been.

Football talk is also full of fans pointing to certain decisions to say "we were robbed" but bad decisions go both ways. I'm sure Hand "robbed" a few points too.